Exploring innovative water solutions: RECREATE shares insights with German Delegation from Rostock region in Barcelona
RECREATE had the pleasure of presenting the experiences from its four case studies to a high-level networking and information exchange event on 8 April in Barcelona, organised as part of a German delegation's visit to learn from the experiences on seawater desalination and alternative water resources projects in Spain.
The event in Barcelona brought together Catalan and German stakeholders, with the delegation representing key institutions from the German federal level, the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the region of the port city of Rostock – one of Germany's frontrunners in green hydrogen strategy, where excess wind energy available could be used for hydrogen production.
However, the region faces serious challenges in securing the freshwater resources needed for this. These challenges are driven by climate change impacts, such as reduced river flow and declining groundwater reserves, along with increased water demand from growing industrial activity.
In response, the region is exploring alternative water sources – particularly seawater desalination – to meet this additional demand. As part of their mission, the delegation visited several Spanish cities (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Málaga) to learn from Spain's extensive experience in desalination and integrated water management. In this context, and through the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), one of the partners of RECREATE, the delegation reached out to the RECREATE project.
RECREATE at the centre of the discussion
During the session, Digu Aruchamy, RECREATE's Project Coordinator, delivered a presentation titled Case Studies exploring Alternative Water Resources across Europe, highlighting how integrated water management strategies are being applied across four regions in Europe through the project.
Among the case studies presented, Kalundborg (Denmark) stood out as a particularly relevant example – a fast-growing industrial symbiosis cluster facing water challenges similar to those in the Rostock region. The presentation underscored the potential of modelling-based planning, resilience testing and stakeholder engagement, demonstrating how RECREATE's digital tools and collaborative approaches can support cost-effective, adaptive water management in complex regional and industrial contexts.
What's next?
Following this productive exchange, RECREATE partners look forward to strengthening ties with institutions in Germany, particularly in the Rostock region. The interest shown by the delegation opens new opportunities for future collaboration, knowledge sharing and co-creation of approaches to integrate digital tools, innovative policies and alternative water resources into climate adaptation and sustainable industrial planning. As a next step, further interaction between the stakeholders from Rostock and the case study lead in Kalundborg is planned.
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